G.—lo.

Whakatohea : Wainui. Situated, eight miles from Whakatane, near the Ohiwa Harbour, this scheme comprises 600 acres. The land is vested in the trustees for the Ringatu Church, and in 1931 they set aside 8J acres for Church reserves and allotted the balance to five Maori farmers. Three of these Natives, occupying 320 acres, are now settlers under the scheme, and arrangements are in hand to obtain equitable leases for them. The area occupied comprises approximately 70 acres of flats, 250 acres of easy hill country, the major portion being ploughable. Of the remaining 280 acres, one-half is suitable for development in connection with the farms of the three established settlers but not as an individual holding. The flats are composed of a heavy silty loam, and the hills of lighter loam soil. The three settlers support five adults and fourteen children on their farms. , There are 242 acres in pasture, mostly of a good sward, and this produced abundant teed, during the year, from which sufficient hay has been saved for the winter feeding of stock. The following stock was carried: 110 cows, 49 heifers and calves, and 5 working-horses. With the completion of two houses, the building of which is at present in hand, the three settlers will have good housing accommodation. Two cow-sheds have been provided, and the third is in the course of erection. Tor ere. Located fifteen miles east of Opotiki, on the Bay of Plenty, this scheme has an area of 3,508 acres, 3,000 acres being suitable for development, which portion comprises 2,000 acres of easy undulating country of a fair quality loam, 750 acres of easy ploughable hills, and 250 acres of usable hill country. " The balance of the gazetted area is only suitable for tree-planting, being too steep to farm economically. . There are thirty-eight settlers established on the scheme, thirty-one of whom are dairying, the farms of the other seven being as yet unfit for milking. These holdings are supporting 91 adults and 133 children. The health of the people throughout the scheme has been good, m spite of the fact that the housing conditions of some of the Natives at Torere Pa are very inadequate. The living quarters of the settlers are quite good. There are now 2,145 acres in permanent and good temporary pasture, 150 acres in poor grass, 160 acres of bush-fallen country ready for sowing, the balance of the area suitable for development being in bush and manuka. The stock carried consisted of 843 dairy cows and heifers, 141 eighteen-month heifers, 187 heifer calves, 35 bulls, 36 working-bullocks, and 54 working-horses. The central water-supply for this scheme is giving good service, and two other small supplies are in the course of construction. When these are completed, the majority of settlers in the scheme area will have an adequate system of reticulation. The settlers in the scheme are making fair progress and are becoming reasonably good farmers. Some of them are in a very sound financial position and are producing excellent returns from their farming operations. Maraenui. The lands comprising the Maraenui scheme are located at the mouth of the Motu River, on the Bay of Plenty, and consist of some 1,500 acres, on which development work was originally undertaken in order to combat ragwort. Control of this noxious weed is still the main work, but with judicious stocking and unemployed-labour assistance good results are being achieved. Of the 410 acres shown previously as being developed, 85 acres were ploughed and cultivated and a further 30 acres were grasssed. Nine workmen have fairly constant employment on this area in ragwort control, fence repairs, and draining, and in all sixteen adults and twenty children are dependent on the scheme, though at times many more receive some measure of assistance from casual work. Building-accommodation is fairly satisfactory. A new set of sheep-yards was erected during the year. There are now 58 mixed dairy stock and 717 sheep on this area. Omaio. On the easterly coast of the Bay of Plenty, twenty-eight miles from Opotiki, and lying between Maraenui and Te Kaha schemes, is situated this property, consisting of a total area of 2,179 acres, of which it is proposed to develop 1,900 acres. The soil on the flats is of a good-quality loam, changing to a lighter loam on the encircling hills. The area embraces approximately 1,400 acres on a flat to undulating contour and 400 acres to 500 acres of ploughable hills. The balance of the block is too steep for farming, and is suitable only for afforestation purposes. Nineteen dairying settlers are established, the number of persons dependent being 12 J, comprising forty-one adults and eighty-eight children. The health of the people throughout the year has been good, and with the completion of the present building programme the housing conditions will be satisfactory. There are 1,349 acres in permanent and good temporary pasture, 250 acres in poor pasture, while it is proposed to develop a further 300 acres which are still in manuka and fern. Consequent upon the good, condition of the permanent pasture, the settlers have this year saved a laige quantity of hay for the winter feeding of their stock. The water-supply is giving excellent service, and a number of additional troughs have been built.

7—G. 10.

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